UMass Boston Labor Center Conference

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Trump's election, charged rhetoric, and reactionary policies have produced an outpouring of protests and opposition. Amid the fear and anger there has been a forceful push for action and change. Much of the response has necessarily been defensive in nature, aimed at protecting the latest target of Trump's attacks. But there is also a broader dissatisfaction with the pro-business orientation of the two major political parties that reflects a deep desire for a more equitable society. This tentative backlash against gross inequality provides an opportunity for the labor movement while raising a fundamental challenge: How do we build movements that are more effective in beating back Trump's agenda, and that develop the political vehicles -- both on and off the job -- to represent, unite and build power for working people? What are the roles of worker organizations and the labor movement in this process?

Guest speakers include:

Kim Bobo, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, author of Wage Theft in America: Why Millions of Americans are Not Getting Paid--And What We Can Do About It

Janice Fine, Rutgers University, author of Workers Centers: Organizing Communities at the Edge of the Dream

Sam Gindin, former research director of Canadian Auto Workers, author The Making of Global Capitalism: The Political Economy of American Empire

William P. Jones, University of Minnesota, author of The March on Washington: Jobs, Freedom, and the Forgotten History of Human Rights

Jane McAlevey, longtime organizer, and author of No Shortcuts: Organizing for Power in the Gilded Age

Adolph Reed, Jr., University of Pennsylvania, author of Class Notes: Posing as Politics and Other Thoughts on the American Scene